WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today introduced legislation to help American allies counter foreign government propaganda from Russia, China, and other nations. Specifically, the bill will improve the ability of the United States to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation by leveraging existing expertise and empowering local communities to defend themselves from foreign manipulation.

“A hallmark of democracy is the free flow of accurate, uncensored information, but many nations today are bombarded by foreign propaganda and manipulated information. This disinformation is often intended specifically to undermine the United States, our allies, and interests,” said Murphy. “Keeping America safe requires us to adapt alongside the threats we face, and right now, we’re too slow to adapt to the disinformation campaigns of our adversaries and competitors. The Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act would ensure America’s national security infrastructure helps counter the false narratives that harm our security – delivering truthful information and making the world a safer place for the United States and our allies.”

“In order to improve our response to foreign propaganda and disinformation, we need a comprehensive strategy. We have to delegitimize false narratives coming out of Russia, China and other nations and increase access to factual information,” said Portman. “By directly countering false narratives and empowering local media and civil societies to defend themselves from foreign manipulation, this legislation will help support our allies and interests in this increasingly unstable world. This bill underscores the United States’ commitment to protecting the freedom of the marketplace of ideas on the international stage. I’m proud to join my colleague, Senator Murphy, on this bipartisan effort.”

NOTE: This afternoon,  Murphy and Portman will join the Atlantic Council for a discussion on their legislation and the broader efforts to help our allies counter foreign government propaganda. Information on the event is below:

WHAT:          Discussion of Efforts to Counter Foreign Propaganda

WHO:            U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Rob Portman

WHEN:          Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 3:30pm 

WHERE:         Atlantic Council Headquarters
                    1030 15th St NW, 12th floor, West Tower Elevators

LIVE STREAM: http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/events/webcasts/counter-disinformation-bill-with-senators-rob-portman-and-chris-murphy